F451

That's what I was thinking.

And yes, I found it easier to get in and out of my S4 when working on the clutch master with the car up on Ken's lift bars, as opposed to it sitting on the ground on its wheels.

I ended up taking out the front seat since it was a pain in the butt to wrestle my 6'6" frame in and out of the car every two seconds as I worked the clutch master into position and connected everything up.

blown 87

Who ever does this next needs to take a ton of pics and document everything.

My plan is to do the conversion in December/January.
I have most of the parts sourced, I still owe Sterling some money on the trans (thank you for working with me Sterling) and I need to get new SuperBearings from Constintine, have the clutch redone and new master and slave and some small parts.

Gretch

I continue to be unclear why people take on this operation.

It has to be a whole lot cheaper to source an original 5 speed than to cobble one up.

That and the one you "make" is never.going to be anything but a Frankenstein....

Guys, tell me your motivations.... I bet this is interesting...

Cliff Ruckstuhl

For me it is another issue, I wanted a 5 speed and all that I found when I was looking were 2000 miles away. I have now done the timing belt, water pump, brakes, plugs, wires, caps, had the furl mater re-done,exhaust, super charger, sound system and anything else that has been needed I am in way so deep in $$$ that to sell my car and take a huge massive beating and start over with a car that has not had all that I have done seems foolish to me. The lesser of all the evil is to do the swap with the car I have and knowing what I have.

Cliff

F451

Yep, exactly. Taking your known quantity and dropping in a 5 sp, as opposed to searching for, buying, and then doing the maintenance on yet another 928 makes it an attractive option for some.

I should add that I ended up selling my auto and buying a 5 sp instead, as many had suggested I do. The usual factors swayed me against the conversion: my auto was in such nice shape I didn't want to mess with it, limited funds, limited knowledge, rounding up all of the parts, and a major one, limited time.

And another huge factor, I had not dropped much if anything into my auto while I owned it, so I was not taking a big hit by selling a 928 that I had spent a lot of money on deferred maint. My case with my '85, in not putting much into it for deferred maint, is unusual I think. Sounds like most 928 purchases are followed by thousands in maint costs (which may be spread over some time). In my case, I sold the car for what I paid for it, so it was a near zero sum situation. That made letting it go much easier so I could search for a 5 sp without taking the hit.

blown 87

I bet when I am done, even on a lift you will not be able tell it did not come from the factory with a five speed, with out looking at some numbers.
And no I am not going to be using pop rivets and glue, gonna be welded just like the factory did.

Just because others do hack work does not mean anything to me and many others here.

Do you consider Sterlings car a Frankensitein? how about one with a Greg Brown stroker?
How about one with a different suspension or wheels.
They are not stock.

I do not understand why you would say a thing like that.

surfridermason

I'm with Gretch 1000%. It's insane. With patience and skill, it is possible to have an excellent install.... I just think about the energy involved.... 5 spd cars are not impossible to find.... I would much rather by an OEM 5 spd myself Cliff.

namasgt

I was thinking to do this conversion, but looking at the cost its better to just buy a manual. However, I totally agree to the fact that if you have done a ton of work to your car, like Sterling or Greg its cheaper to change to manual if you want one than to buy an original 5 speed and start all over. Also, when it comes to this kind of cars People get emotionaly attached to them and dont want to sell it to get what they want.

I never drove a manual 928 but I liked my Auto 88 when it was running, the only thing I dont like is that my friends make fun of me or lose interest in the car when they find out its an auto with a Mercedes transmission.

Maybach_Man

hi;
if you have a euro car then the bracket WILL be there

Lizard928

This is false, it was not there on my 1981 euro.

I added it later.

I didnt want to make the hole from the inside as I was using a plasma cutter. But I could see what you are talking about. Before welding make sure to clean the area properly!